San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-12-31
val eri =.
HALF A TR j TIL.
BY 1.-THE DUCHESS. ~

on, desperately.
"Yesp' the girl started. az forgot. l
was looking at that Woodworking. What
will wear, did you ask Cream and gold
plush-no jewels-only flowers. lean make
a selection from the flowers here-see, what
beautiesr'
1t did not occur to Valerie-whose native
simplicity nothing could really destroy
that, by entering the drawing room the
last, she might incur the suspicion of doing
so purposely; she never thought about it,
till, when the servant opened the drawing
room door, she saw that everyone, or al
most everyone else, was already in the room.
Max Beauregard talking TO Mrs. Lang
ley, looked up, and every pulse quickened
as his eyes rested on the beautiful girl he
loved SO passi9nately, yet whom he could
never claim as his own. Lady Elinor
glanced involuntarily from Valerie to An
gela, and set her lips together.
Lord Westbrook, Hal Dallas, Travers,
Mrs. Dudley, all came forward TO greet
Valerie, and at once Angela was almost
deserted. Lady Elinor leaned over to
where the girl sat, and tapped her with her
fan.
I'VE were beginning to fear you had
escaped to the picture-galleries, or were
hunting up curios in some -of-the-way
place." she said laughingly.
mot quite so bad as that, Lady Elinor;
but found so many delightful old things
in my rooms, that, but for Fanchon,
should not have saved my manners, and
on the way here l could have stopped a
dozen times"
= bot 70 plA arl
joining the group, you will require a
keeper in going about the house, or you
will box yourself up in some old chest, like
Ginevra."
as there such chest?" asked she.
There may be-very likely; but there is
something more in your line in the park. 1"
What is that"
But he shook his head, laughing.
'I'll tell you another time" he said
"Ohr' cried Lord Westbrook and Mrs.
Dudley in breath; "to excite our curiosity
and then refuse to satisfy it!'
And Dallas added:
For shame, Beau! Miss Herbert, make
him tellr'
But Valerie, though she wondered what
her host meant, only answered:
HE would not tell for anything might
say. 1t would be no use asking"
miss Herbertr demonstrated Lord
Westbrook, leaning over her chair, and
adding lower, "As if any man could refuse
whatever you askedr'
You couldn't, perhaps" with a saucy
upward flash of her bright eyes into his,
which gave him a taste of the seventh
heaven; but Colonel Beauregard is made
of sterner stuff Besides, am content to
be patient"
But you won't keep the secret to your
self-no, a woman never CAMP
"A woman can keep a secret better than
a man when she is determined upon it,"
said Valerie. carelessly.
Had she not proved this at most bitter
cost?
The entrance of the butler to announce
dinner put an end to the bddtndge.
In the drawing room, after dinner, Mrs.
Langley watched Valerie, and saw, with
some misgiving, that she allowed herself to
be usurped by others than her host, and
certainly gave him no opportunity for talk
ing to her; as certainly he did not seek it;
but, short of neglecting her-he was too
courteous a host to neglect any Of his
guests-left her to the other men, and de-
voted himself to pretty, dashing Mrs. Dud-
ley, more than Mrs Langley liked to see.
II wonder" said Lilias Dudley to him
presently, in low tone, inaudible to any
but her hearer, amid the buzz of talking
Mt little table where Valerie sat, looking
through photograph album, with Lord
WestbroOk and Major Travers in attend
ance, while Dallas sacrificed himself to
Angela Musgrave-"I wonder If Miss Her
bert means to subjugate poor Westbrook?"